A now-crumbled chapel on the site of Oxford Castle is almost certain to have been the setting where the Legends of King Arthur, ensconced in
the 12th century History of the Kings of Britain, were written.

Announcing a week of family quests and Sword in the Stone-style activities around the Normal castle in celebration of their discovery, experts said Geoffrey of Monmouth would have conceived the work, known as Historia Regum Britanniae, while serving within the grounds which would become the castle prison.

“Geoffrey of Monmouth was a serving canon in St George’s Chapel, on the site of what is now Oxford Castle,” explained Helen Fulton, a Professor of Medieval Literature at the University of York with particular knowledge of Arthurian literature.

“He would have been based there when he wrote his famous Latin chronicle, Historia Regum Britanniae, around 1136.

“It was Geoffrey who introduced the figures of King Arthur and Merlin to a wide medieval readership.

“He paved the way for the enormous popularity of the Arthurian legends in later centuries, right up to modern times."

Guided tours of the site take in the Saxon stone-built St George’s Tower and a Georgian prison wing before descending into the “atmospheric” crypt, where the remnants of the ancient chapel now lie.

Your name:Where you live:Please complete the CAPTCHA to show us you're human:

DISCLAIMER: Reader comments posted at www.culture24.org.uk are the opinion of the comment writer, not Culture24. Culture24 reserves the right to withdraw or withhold from publication any comments that are deemed to be hearsay or potentially libellous, or make false or unsubstantiated allegations or are deemed to be spam or unrelated to the article at which they are posted.